Giving a kung fu punch to films
GIJI K. RAMAN
Combat ready:Fight choreographer Sajith, better known as kung fu Sajith, during a training session.
The arrival of the digital camera and the helicam has reduced the stress involved in filming combat scenes, says fight choreographer Sajith, better known as kung fu Sajith.
New generation cinema is the result of many technological advancements, which have considerably reduced the cost of film-making and the stress on actors.
“You can select the best shot now. It eased the way we work and helped bring more perfection in shooting all kinds of combat scenes, from martial arts to gunfights. Making a combat scene look realistic is not an easy job,” says Sajith who has choreographed combat scenes in nearly 40 films and TV serials.
Sajith, a black belt holder in kung fu, came accidentally to the movies. It was director Jayaraj who invited him to choreograph some fight scenes in his ‘Johny Walker,’ after seeing his martial performance.
“This was when I was a degree student at Kottayam and it later changed everything,” he says. Sajith has worked with almost all the famous directors and choreographed combat scenes in Tamil films as well.
“When I am given an idea about a combat scene, I first think up and write down the sequences along with sketches. Then comes the mental work on how the camera could move to create the best possible realistic shots,” says Sajith.
For realistic scenes
He said some of the scenes choreographed by him helped him rethink on them later to effect an improvement in the subsequent films. “One has to be utmost careful to make a fight look realistic enough, while keeping it safe for the actors and other participants. For instance, some traditional techniques employed in the films for creating the feeling of setting a man afire could be remade to create the same feeling using a glass shade. This not only reduces the cost of production but also makes it safe for the actor or actors,” according to Sajith. His background as a kung fu trainer helped him to achieve the physical as well as the mental discipline needed in creating a fight scene.
“A realistic use of time and space is needed to create a fight scene. Even a minor error could make the entire scenes look odd,” he says. A close co-ordination with the film director is the basic rule for choreographing the fighting scenes in the most realistic and secure way, says Saiith.
His works
The films choreographed by him include ‘Padaliputhram,’ ‘Arabia,’ ‘Sooryavanam,’ ‘Summer Palace,’ ‘Eenadu Innalevare,’ ‘Fort Kochi,’ ‘Rapid Action Force,’ ‘Yakshiyum Njanum,’ ‘ Spandanam,’ ‘Ente Puthiya Number,’ and ‘How to Use the Gun’ (an Engilish short film). He had also brought alive the fights in ‘Maramkothi,’ ‘Highway,’ ‘Anukudumbam.com,’ and ‘Maheshinte Prathikaram.’ Sajith’s day starts at 5 a.m. with a one hour-long kung fu training. Sajith says he still has students in kung fu all over the State. He is an instructor of the State police’s ‘Sthree Sureksha Project’ under its Janamaithri push.
Reply With Quote
